They have many different weekly meditation groups to choose from, as well as special events. The…read morestaff/volunteers are friendly and welcoming. And the space itself is comfortable and calming.

Some of the groups are really well facilitated.... Wonderful offerings and I recommend keep…read moreexploring until you find a group you resonate with

Everyone here is so kind and every time I visit, they greet me with a smile. Going inside, the…read morearchitecture and treasures are beautiful, and they offer many Buddhist recordings and readings. Its's a very welcoming space, and I would recommend anyone else to come if they're interested in culture.

The problem is you think you have time---the Buddha…read more This is a beautiful Buddhist temple in the heart of the Mission. I lived over a year in an intentional Buddhist community with 30 folks along with a Tibetan Lama. There are different branches of Buddhism just as there are different styles of jazz music. The nuns here were very kind giving us a tour of the facility. One giant Buddha was here that was quite impressive. One of the Buddhist nuns was doing an interesting ritual carefully lighting heaps of candles. Lovely welcoming place. Be sure to have a look inside and except to be greeted by warm hospitality. The outside architecture is beautiful as well.

I've been coming here for 1.5 years and love it. I've actually been meditation-hopping around the…read morecity - checking out different meditation groups - and like this one the best. It's Zen meditation, meaning it's the most simple and less "preachy." I look forward to those 90 minutes every week where I sit on the floor of a bare room and do ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. It feels like the world has stopped, I can relax, focus, and feel really happy. Sitting in silence for 90 minutes sound weird until you actually do it. And then you realize how calm and happy and useful it is. Plus the people here are really cool too. Michael and Chris are very welcoming along with everyone else.

Zen may not have all the answers, but it is for people who have questions…read more I started meditating with this group for just that reason. I wanted to learn how my mind works...how other people think...how to sit still, relax, and just breathe. I had a lot of questions. I still do--and I'm finding a lot of interesting things here. The koan format? Provocative, moving, sometimes funny. The people? Great. Fellow 20-30 somethings (and a few who are young at heart). Wednesday nights are so good that people come all the way from Oakland and Marin. Definitely worth it.

James teaches you a way to find consistent peace and inner happiness in your life. He helps…read moreintegrate meditation into your daily life (I still meditate twice a day after taking his Vedic Meditation course two years ago). The practice has helped me have a calm mind and live life in HD with a higher level of presence ... life flows, music sounds better, I appreciate the details of nature more. I feel very lucky that I took James' course and I hope you will too!

I like to describe James' teaching process as "mindfulness for the modern world". He focuses on the…read morehuman aspects of learning to meditate rather than the rigid, dogmatic approaches that are often put forward by focus-based meditation practices and even some of the mindfulness apps. The key differences are twofold: flexibility and ease. Learning skills through meditation that can be applied to everyday life helping to embrace change with poise and grace. And the practice itself is effortless and sustainably stress alleviating. If you're interested in mindfulness or already practicing and ready to accelerate progress, joining one of James' courses or events is a recommended next step.

SFZC practitioners are friendly and serious about the practice. The teachings here are excellent…read moreand have helped in my spiritual exploration. Also the food is delicious.

Sexual harassment, psychological abuse, negligence, dishonesty, and poor ethics. Please please…read morebeware if you are looking for something real. They are not unbiased, are prone to dangerously self-interested thinking, and lack integrity. Unfriendly to meditation practice that is not thoroughly dominated by their teachers, who are less equipped than they want you to think. Very manipulation-prone and small-minded community - you are likely to be scapegoated and abused if you are internally healthier than the people who are running things. They will take any opportunity to gaslight you into hating yourself and doubting your sanity, if you aren't insecure enough. A few bright spots but not enough to assuage the aggressive onslaught of egotism and brutality from a few genuinely unstable people who want to run the show and mimic wisdom without embodying or truly respecting it. They have a hard time listening when it matters - will aggressively force you into sharing more of yourself than you want or feel comfortable with in order to exploit and dominate you. They will not tell you they're doing this. Serious narcissism and cult dynamics. They equate wisdom with social power, which is why they're so threatened by anyone who seems to possess any - because it could meaningfully topple their own place in a hierarchy they've built their sense of self on. They will do this with new students who mean no harm. Do not come with faith in their ability to wield power well - the staff and teachers abuse it, and they give you no options for dialogue, after claims that you're the problem to imagine that they don't. Please watch out for triangulation dynamics. Very very toxic, and it's baked in, so it's hard to avoid even if you just want to sit, work, and enjoy the beautiful setting - if you appear to have any openness to people, or if you unintentionally trigger them for any reason - for being too peaceful - they will draw you into intensely toxic dynamics you have no interest in, then blame you for their unhealed parts. These are the staff and teachers who do this - everyone here generally needs real therapy and a reality check, and you'll know because if you are sane, they will tell you you're the problem. The role of the scapegoat is to absorb and express the toxic dynamics in the environment - if I'm saying it, it's happened, and if they don't "see" it, it's because part of the toxicity is in their giving their dysfunction over to me. The abusive mechanism is to blame the one who holds the trauma - the messenger - and absolve true perpetrators of emotional responsibility - which plays into patterns of avoidance and manipulation others may also be prone to. Scapegoating is possible because of the amount of people benefiting from it, who choose to Dorian Gray their suffering instead of dealing with it. It is abusive and dysfunctional, not wise. This message is for anyone who may be seeking true refuge and who doesn't want to fall prey to toxic spiritual communities. My experience here was about 10 months cumulative in residence, ongoing close contact with a teacher, and friendships with others who have spent time in residence. Be very very wary of their ability to treat you well. Sexual assaults and suicides committed in residence, probably more than I know, without care for victims or meaningful resolution. There is something wrong here, and they work hard to cover it up - do not give them the benefit of the doubt and end up psychologically brutalized like I did. I came here at 25 on multiple recommendations, from a trusted friend and from my therapist, and I was immediately roped into their problems without mercy. I was sexually aggressed and assaulted as a new guest student, in 2019, and a good friend killed herself last spring after spending time here in residence - she may have been in residence at the time. They will not communicate with me about either of these events, following aggravated attempts on their part to get me to open up, be vulnerable with, and talk to them. If you have anything going for you, do not come here. They want to be able to eat your soul.

I said that I am trying to get into Buddhism now. Since I live in SF, this is possible because…read moreBuddhism is favorable in this kind of big city. Kadampa is suitable for me. I had been calling to ask about their events. I decided to spend a good portion of my day today at Kadampa. First they had a meeting at 5:30pm called "Heart Jewel Puja." This is the description: By engaging in the Guru Yoga practiced in conjunction with Je Tsongkhapa we can purify negativity, accumulate merit, receive blessings, and attain a very special compassion, wisdom, and spiritual strength....This involved silent meditation and some prayer that I didn't understand. You look toward the buddha. There were two people at this event other than me. After that, I stepped out of the building to walk around Valencia. I came back for the Happy Hour event. A Buddhist nun who works at the center made some nice slider sandwiches with pesto, cheese, and tomato. And there were some sweet potato chips, drinks, etc. It was a nice snack and you could meet some others. After the Happy Hour(6:45pm), there was "Drop-in Class with Gen Kelsang Choma." This went from 7:15pm-8:30pm. It felt like an extended period of time. It's interesting what can stretch an hour of your life. This is described: "Our Tuesday evening drop-in meditation classes provide a basic introduction to Buddhist teachings and meditation that are suitable for beginners and experienced meditators. Each month we explore a new topic from Buddha's teachings and learn how to practically apply it in our daily lives." Basically, this is where you have a Buddhist preacher give a sermon about living life with Buddhist philosophy. Buddhists like love and kindness. Buddhists believe we need to relieve ourselves of jealousy and negativity. We need to find relationships we enjoy with people, so that we are not feeling lonely. Buddhists have basic lessons and I listened to this preaching today. The center seems to be run by older women who have gray, short hair and they wear Buddhist robes. The founder is from Tibet, but this western Buddhist. Most people were white and there was a nice black lady who has a family in Berkeley...and then there was me. It was for liberals. After that, I went home by taking the Muni bus #22 and before I took the bus, I stopped in at Manny's and there was a meeting by leftists who were talking about climate change and reform...something like that. So that is my day in San Francisco, CA. I am at home with my parents now. Good night.

Very lovely and welcoming community. The Buddhist teachings and meditations are very practical and…read morehelpful for daily life. They have certainly changed my life for the better. The center is very beautiful and peaceful and they offer many different classes for all levels. Highly recommend checking it out.

I love going to Joseph's class every week. I feel so fortunate that we have this conscious dance…read moreclass in San Francisco! There aren't many in the city, and this has become my favorite weekly dance. The music is great -- some familiar, some new stuff every week. We dance alone, in partnership and in groups throughout the class, but mostly on our own. Joseph always brings in different ideas to ponder about the human condition, how we act or react to things, our patterns and conditioning, and we do movement within that pondering (or not, as the moment beckons!) It's a very friendly group, tended by Joseph's thoughtfulness and curiosity. A wonderful Thursday evening opportunity to connect deeply with myself, in the context of community. Thank you, Joseph! And to you, fellow movers!

I have been making Moving Meditation a part of my weekly practice as much as I'm able. Because of…read moreits effectiveness, in healing me and connecting me to myself and others, I feel more and more of a need for it. It feels like it's becoming important work for me. Joseph and Tamara do a beautiful job of creating a safe and playful space...or helping us explore our movement, come to know ourselves more fully, and push ourselves as well at times. I enjoy their guidance, the space, and the energy of the folks that attend. I really dig Joseph's music...have been slowly adding much of it to my own playlist for more frequent listening and movement ;-)

I just took an intro to mindfulness class at the SF Buddhist center. I have to say that I was so…read moreimpressed by what was provided in the four week course. I'm really blown away by the quality of the class and what I got out of it. The teachers were both fantastic. Danadasa was an engaging teacher and really knows his stuff. Both teachers are very knowledgeable about Buddhist practice, as well as how to apply it in our daily lives. They were also so kind and made the class a joy to be in. We had time for discussions, practice, and even got a mindfulness book with the class.

I have been going to the San Francisco Buddhist Center for almost seven years. I started out by…read moreattending an introduction to meditation class and fell in love with the place. The people are friendly and down to earth and the center is a quiet retreat from the busy city life. A great place for new time meditators, as well as people with an established practice!

I attended Subuddh's free class on dynamic meditation. 12 minutes each of : chaos, yelling, fast…read morebreathing, quiet, and dancing Afterwards, my mind felt clean and alert. It was exactly what I needed. Thank you.

Briksha was hands down my favorite teacher I have had. I was impressed with his clarity and warm…read moreheart. He told us to smile, during some of the most difficult moments in class. The vinyasa series was concise and built a lot of heat. Thanks so much for class. Hope to be back soon. Namaste May the light in me shine to the light in you.

This charming yoga place, housed in an historic Victorian home, exudes a warm and welcoming…read moreatmosphere. Founded by Swami Satchidananda in the 1970s, it has become a beloved sanctuary for yogis of all levels. The studio's commitment to holistic well-being is evident in its approach, which extends beyond physical postures to encompass chanting, breath, meditation, and deep relaxation. The inward-focused practice cultivates a profound sense of peace and inner happiness. I particularly appreciate the consistent class structure, which allows for mindful observation of progress, and the transformative power of the final yoga Nidra session. The studio's logo beautifully encapsulates its essence, and it's clear that everyone is warmly invited to experience this special space. Btw. Swami Satchadananda was the Woodstock guru https://youtu.be/g8MpRSPneHs?si=aNIQnAtv7sN6npbI

This is such a wonderful place for doing yoga!…read more It is an old gorgeous mansion on Dolores Street. Prices are very reasonable The teachers are living a lifestyle of yoga and spirituality. But they're not putting their believes on you. However, if you want to talk about yoga and spirituality, they are open for that. A particularly loves the "temple" room, underneath the roof. Hardwood floors and skylights ... And their little altar. Makes it a real retreat every time.